The act says that breastfeeding discrimination is not legal and that women are allowed to breastfeed in public and during employment hours.

“This is a big step towards normalising breastfeeding in New Zealand, and we applaud The Warehouse for supporting nursing mothers and treating them with respect,” says Fenton.

“We hope other businesses and organisations follow suit.”

Shane Cornelius, general manager of The Warehouse operations has acknowledged that the posters are put around a store as a reminder to mothers.

"We’ve only had posters in stores for a few months but at the end of the day we just wanted to remind mums that they are free to breastfeed in our stores and they can ask a team member if they’d like to use a fitting room”.

The latest occurrence in happened in Tauranga after a mother was told by a stranger in a supermarket store to breastfeed in her car.

Another occurrence In 2014 saw mother-of-three, Anjula Manga, approached by a cleaner at Hamilton's Te Awa at The Base and told she could not breastfeed her 6-week-old daughter in the foodcourt. The managers of the mall later apologised to her and said it was an error of judgment.

"I think it is so sad that people take time out of the day to make somebody feel that low about nurturing their child. I just don't understand what drives a person to have such strong feelings about public breastfeeding," she said.

The Warehouse Group’s signs are a way to communicate with mothers that feeding their child in public is something the group supports.

Signs can be a way of sending a clear message making mothers feel at ease while also setting the tone for other customers.

In the UK a local café, Brasserie Blanc, went viral after offering breastfeeding mothers a free cup of tea and a ‘pit-stop’.

Cafe sign. Photo Credit: Brasserie Blanc Official Facebook.

“While there is growing awareness and acceptance in New Zealand, as demonstrated by The Warehouse, we still have a long way to go before breastfeeding becomes the cultural norm,” Says Fenton.

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Following the lead of retailers like Mitre 10, Countdown and New World, The Warehouse Group is transitioning into offering fully compostable bags across the entire company. This means 254 stores from the red sheds; Warehouse Stationery; Noel Leeming and Torpedo7 will no longer offer petroleum-based plastic bags.

New Zealand’s luxury leather accessories brand, Deadly Ponies, continues to make waves in the fashion world. Now impressing designers and industry icons alike at its debut in the Australian Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

My Food Bag founders and co-chief executives Cecilia and James Robinson are to move into strategic and governance roles following the appointment of new CEO Kevin Bowler. Bowler formerly lead Tourism New Zealand and Frucor Suntory.

In terms of retail spending, New Zealand households ended 2017 with a bang, and it looks like the party has continued in the early part of 2018. However, despite this firmness in spending levels, retail price inflation remains stubbornly low, writes Satish Ranchhod, Westpac senior economist.

With 50 stores gracing central business districts from Whangarei to Invercargill, it’s easy to forget that there was ever a high street before Hannahs. And actually, at 150 years old, the shoe chain may well pre-date some Kiwi towns.

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It’s the highlight of the festive season for many shoppers: the day when Auckland department store Smith and Caughey’s opens the curtains at the front of its store to reveal a tiny animated world that’s all about Christmas. The theme for 2017 is 'A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas.' If you've got or seen a great store or mall display, why not show it off on The Register? Just email a picture and a short explanation of the store to editor@theregister.co.nz